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01/16/2018 03:00 PMThe winter weather hit early this season and while students may have been happy to get a few extra days off of school, towns are keeping a close watch on weather patterns with the goal of keeping roads safe without blowing snow removal budgets.
The first selectmen of Chester, Deep River, and Essex all noted that, while they are not over budget, that early storms have left more snow than usual at this point in the year, and they are keeping a close eye on clean up costs.
Chester
For 2017-’18, Chester budgeted $129,600 for winter maintenance. First Selectman Lauren Gister said that Chester is in “pretty good shape,” but a lot depends on what happens in the remaining winter months.
“We’re hoping we don’t have a lot more snow to clean up,” said Gister. “This line item is a pretty big nut for the town.”
There are several factors that contribute to the cost of cleaning up after a snowfall.
“It’s more work to clean up after a small storm than after a big storm and it’s more work to clean up during the day than at night,” said Gister. “It’s impossible to gauge what we’ll need year to year and for the most part our residents are patient and kind and helpful to the plow drivers.”
Because Chester’s Public Works Department is small, the town has contracts with several snow removal contractors who have worked with the town for many years. Gister noted that all of the contractors and members of the Public Works Department know their routes and that their experience helps.
“It’s expensive, because [the contractors] use their own equipment and snowplows and carry their own insurance, but they’re also not our regular workers taking on overtime pay,” said Gister. “Our Public Works Department is absolutely stellar. They and our contractors do a fantastic job on cleaning roads and sidewalks. They treat them as their own personal property as far as how they maintain them.”
One area that Chester is still discussing is how to deal with sidewalks. About 10 years ago, the town rescinded the ordinance that residents and businesses had to clear their sidewalks.
“It’s a constant conversation,” said Gister. “It’s always a bit of a juggling act of what the town provides and what we expect homeowners and business owners to provide.”
Deep River
Deep River First Selectman Angus McDonald, also noted that his town is “still in good shape” as far as the winter budget, which this year allocates $12,500 to storm clearing. Even with cleaning up after the early storms, Deep River is still slightly ahead of its budget compared to other years.
“The storms we’ve had have been a little earlier than we would’ve liked in the season, but hopefully it will average out to keep us in budget,” said McDonald. “It’s always a concern when the storms start early, but we’ve got a good budget for it and are in good shape as far as sand, salt, and overtime.”
With more than two months of winter left to weather, McDonald wants to be sure the town is able to reach out to residents with ease. Concerns arose with an October storm that brought high winds that led officials to question whether to open a shelter and how to communicate that with residents.
The town has since explored options and discussed the options with leaders of surrounding towns. Deep River recently enrolled in the services of EverBridge, a system that communicates via phone, text, and email.
“Residents can go onto our town website and sign up for notifications on any apparatus they choose,” said McDonald. “We also post updates on our website and send an email blast, but this covers more bases and gives you a little more flexibility in how you contact people. It’s a good way for us to communicate in a positive way for these emergencies.”
Residents can sign up for the EverBridge service by clicking on the CT Alert icon on the town’s website. Anyone having trouble with the signup can also call Town Hall for assistance.
Despite the brief recent rise in temperatures, McDonald knows there is plenty of winter left and recalls a few years ago when a few “monstrous storms” hit in February. The benefit to the big storms, though, is that when Connecticut declares a state of emergency, there is state and federal aid available.
“Last year was a relatively mild winter and none of the storms were a state of emergency,” said McDonald. “It all averages out in the long run. Maybe we’ll get a little snow next week and then a thaw, but there’s still February and the beginning of March.”
Essex
Snow removal is part of the Essex Public Works Department’s base budget rather than its own line item, but should more funds be needed, they are taken from a contingency fund, according to First Selectman Norm Needleman.
“It’s early, so I’m not prepared to say where we’ll end up by any means,” said Needleman of this winter’s storm cleanups. “At this point of the year, maybe we’ve used a little more sand and salt than other years, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
Ryan Welch, the foreman of the Town of Essex, noted that the town has spent a little more than half of its expected expense of $20,000 for plowing, sanding, and contractors that assist with storms, plus another $20,000 for sand and salt.
“It’s hard to predict year to year with the weather,” said Welch. “No matter what happens, we have to keep the roads safe. The bottom line is we have to spend the money and going a little over is normal.”
Welch also pointed out that whether it’s a big snowfall or only a few inches, many times, it takes the same amount of sand and salt to combat it. He reminds residents to be sure their mailbox posts are secured, that trash cans are not left in the street so plows can reach fully to the curb, and that anyone venturing out during the storms and cleanup is dressed in brightly colored clothing.
“We encourage residents to stay off the roads during storms and to give the plows the right of way,” said Welch. “So far people have been very good and respectful of that.”
Whenever there is inclement weather, Needleman reminds residents to check the website or the town’s Facebook page for updates on parking and other announcements. Like in Chester, there has also been recent discussion about creating an ordinance for clearing sidewalks.
“While we don’t have an ordinance about snow removal for sidewalks, we want to encourage residents to please shovel snow on the sidewalks in front of their houses for sidewalks,” said Needleman. “Our choices are to just keep asking, the town taking it on at a cost to taxpayers, or putting an ordinance in place and enforcing it. More and more people are using the sidewalks and we really do want them cleared.”